ELAFONISSOS

In the south-west part of
Crete (Prefecture of Chania) there lies one of the most
beautiful beaches you could visit in Crete.64 Km from
Chania, there is the village of Vathi. After Vathi the
road , running south until, a total of 73 Km, it reaches
the south coast at the Crysoskalitissa Convent. The
fortress-like convent is built high up on a steep cliff
over a narrow bay, with a wonderful view south over the
LIbyan Sea.(At least aremarkable sight). Continuing about
5 Km south west from the convent, we come to the
beautiful islet of Elafonisi, which is joined to the body
of Crete by a shallow reef some 800 metres long.

This is easy to cross when the weather is
calm. The land-scape is warm and the and welcoming, with
brilliant white sand and the calm sea. There is no hint
of the frightful waves which the south wind can whip up -
some of the fiercest in the Mediterranean. Nor is there
any reminder of the catastrophe of 24 April 1824, when,
on Easter Sunday, the troops of Ibrahim slaughtered 40
Greeks fighter and 600 women and children. Only a plaque
on the summit of the island bears witness to their
terrible end.

Elafonnissos

Elafonissi is a small islet on the
southwest of Crete. It is connected to the beach with a shallow
reef (max. depth 1 meter) that allows crossing when the sea is
calm. There are only a couple of cantinas on the beach and plenty
of places for camping. The place can be accessed by car from the
village of Vathi or by boat from Paleohora. There are no
permanent inhabitants.

History:

In 1824 640
women and children seeked refuge in the islet from the fury of
the Turks. However the Turks managed to discover the passage from
the mainland to the islet, walked over and slaughtered them all.
According to the legend the sand on the beach took its red color
from the blood of all the victims.

Natural Habitat :

Walking on the beach of Elafonissos the
visitor can see various plants and bushes (Atriplex halmus,
crithmum, maritimum, rura clepensis, ballota pseudodictamum
etc.). There is also a small frog (bufo viridis viridis) endemic
to the island and various lizards (podarcis erherdil elaphonisi)
considered a protected species. There are also reported instances
of a snake (coluber gemonensis gemorensis) . According to studies
conducted by the Greek Ministry of the Environment the island
serves as a breeding spot for the caretta-caretta
sea turtle. Finally local fishermen have reported noticing Mediterranean
seals( monachus monachus) in the open sea.

There are very few indigenous species of birds on the area,
but the area is very important to ornithologists since it is the
last stop from Europe to Africa for migrating birds.

The Monastery ofHrissoskalitissa

Monastery of
Hrissoskalitissa (golden stair). The
monastery is dedicated to the Assumption of the Holy
Mother. It is located at the southwest part of Kissamos,
73km away from Hania, and is part of the municipality of Vathi

.

The monastery is built on a rock and pilgrims
visiting have to follow a staircase carved on it with 98 steps.
According to the tradition, the last one was made of gold but
only faithful people could see it ( hence the name of the
monastery from the words Hriso meaning gold and Skalitissa
meaning of the stair). According to the tradition, however, the
Patriarchy in Constantinople gave the gold step to the Ottoman
sultan in order to achieve better treatment for the Christians.

In 1900 the monastic order resident on
the monastery was disbanded by the Turks and its lands sold.
Solitary monks however continued to live there and maintain the
old building as best as they could.

Today the monastery is open to all people who can visit and
maybe stay for a coupe, of nights if there are free cells.